Where did that sign come from?

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Jeybea

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Have you ever wondered how some signs came into being? Some signs are pretty iconic and seem to come from everyday life activities, while others are hard to explain to people that don't know ASL.

I am currently taking a historical linguistics class and am planning to write about folk etymology in ASL. (I get irritated sometimes because the linguistics department at the college I attend does not do much research into ASL and focuses more on spoken languages.) Folk etymology is sort of the history you give to the word/sign. Why you think it is the way it is?

Take for instance: 'chocolate' How did the sign for chocolate come into being?
What about the sign for father?

What do you guys think the origin of these words are? Or why do you think they are the way they are?
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

A lot of signs evolve and change slightly over time - so originally they may have been more iconic, however over time it's iconic origins become virtually lost to the current users. With chocolate I'd think it would be connected to the grinding of the cocoa beans into a chocolate liqueur (and possible to the stirring of hot chocolate, (similar to coffee).

Signs like "HOME" as good examples - if you look at very old Signed video "HOME" really is "EAT""BED" - and while the movement is still there, our current sign is in actual formation quite different.

I'm trying to think of a totally non-iconic sign, and can't really think of one that if you really look at it is 'random' (or has no iconic root 'hints'). Can you think of some specific signs - maybe we (ASLers) can have a discussion on how we hypothesize the various signs may have developed to their current form.

Actually that sounds like fun!
 
Anij said:
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )


I'm trying to think of a totally non-iconic sign, and can't really think of one that if you really look at it is 'random' (or has no iconic root 'hints'). Can you think of some specific signs - maybe we (ASLers) can have a discussion on how we hypothesize the various signs may have developed to their current form.

Actually that sounds like fun!
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Interesting question-

What about if/suppose?

Happen?
 
Wirelessly posted (Blackberry Bold )

For "if" / "suppose"

I know two signs for this - the most common one being the "I" at the temple ... Which makes sense because most of the time we sign "IF" in that context it really means "THINK...if" (so locating it at the temple and using an "I" makes sense!)

The other is it older "IF" that is held in front of you, hands in "F"s one moving up, the other down - like "weighing choices", which also makes sense because "IF" if commonly used to compare cause and effect, a vs b ... Basically weighing one thing/idea/concept against others.

Happen ... Let me think on that one a bit. My instinctual link would be connecting "happen" with concepts of "change", "up setting something", etc. However the movement of happen is also vaguely similar to how the wrist moves to fingurespell the HapPeN which makes me think it's likely a combination of what we used to call "loan signs" and the movement of up-setting (not meaning sad, meaning causing movement/change etc) something due to an event etc.

Does that make sense ?
 
Very interesting thread. I love etymology, and I would love to learn where different signs come from. For example, does anyone know the origin of the sign for strange? I just learned it, and to be frank it IS a rather strange-looking sign.

As to iconic signs. I can totally see where signs like "dog", "girl" and "boy" come from.
 
bibliotech said:
Very interesting thread. I love etymology, and I would love to learn where different signs come from. For example, does anyone know the origin of the sign for strange? I just learned it, and to be frank it IS a rather strange-looking sign. .
Click to expand...

Maybe that's where it comes from?
 
I think it's interesting how ASL, like other living languages, changes over time.

Do you know what the old sign used to be for telephone? It was two-handed, with one hand for the receiver, and one for the mouthpiece.
 
During a super bowl commercial last night, one of the characters used the sign, "thank" in the context of thank you. My friend turned to me and asked, "Where did that sign come from", but I was unable to answer the question.

Does anyone know the origin of the sign, "thank"?
 
who is pauley perrety?

Sorry if I sound like I'm unfamiliar with the deaf culture as well as its adherent achievements (or something like that).
 
Lukin said:
who is pauley perrety?

Sorry if I sound like I'm unfamiliar with the deaf culture as well as its adherent achievements (or something like that).
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no no no she is an actress. shes a hottie. google her up!

Shes hearing. you silly!!

edit to add, she's an actress for NCIS.
 
Frisky Feline said:
no no no she is an actress. shes a hottie. google her up!

Shes hearing. you silly!!

edit to add, she's an actress for NCIS.
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Oh! Yeah now i remember her, back in the good old America days. I thought she was hot lol... Only watched an episode once when i was in detox program though.
 
Lukin said:
Oh! Yeah now i remember her, back in the good old America days. I thought she was hot lol... Only watched an episode once when i was in detox program though.
Click to expand...

yeah she has natural blonde but she dyed her hair in black. wow!
 
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